The average berry has 200 seeds, the only fruit whose seeds are on its exterior surface! The seeds are really the fruit!

Usually grown from runner daughters, they will grow from seed. Just throw down caps you bit the berry from. Sooner or later, you will have a plant you didn’t ‘plant.’ Strawberry seed saving is simple.

Eight out of 10 strawberries grown in the U.S. are grown in California!

Strawberries came in second to blueberries in the USDA’s analysis of antioxidant capacity of 40 fruits and vegetables. They are also rich in dietary fiber and manganese, and contain more vitamin C than any other berry.

Image courtesy of StrawberryPlants.org

When do I plant strawberries? Not now, NOVEMBER 1 to 10! Yes, it’s that specific for winter chill at the perfect time! They start producing runners now, but cut them off until early July! Then let them grow, and cut off the new baby plants mid October for November planting. Or, just let them grow to fill spots where, for one reason or another, a plant has gone missing, needs replacing, and/or another could fit in. When those needs are taken care of, cut off the rest of the runners. These runner plant babies will grow so fast you will be getting berries from them late summer and fall if you have everbearers/day neutral types!!

My plant isn’t producing….
Variety – If it is an everbearer, day neutral, variety it will produce almost all year. June/spring bearers put out a prolific batch in June, then it’s over. No amount of care or feeding is going to make that plant have berries after June. Sorry. Best to get the varieties your local nursery carries. Or talk with them about special ordering well in advance, so they can get the ones you want.Temps – cold weather slows down pollinators.Shaded – believe me, strawberries like all-day sun! If you are going to tuck them in among other plants, be sure to put them on the sunny side!Hungry – think about it! A strawberry plant is often pumping out several berries at a time! They are using up soil nutrition, so feed them! Try a light solution of fish emulsion/kelp every other week over some sprinkled seabird guano or a well aged manure. Give your strawberries a little fertilizer in the 0-10-10 proportions; that’s lots of phosphorus and potassium for strong roots and uptake of nutrients, blooms and fruits!Water – don’t let them dry out, they will stop producing. This month they tend to grow more leaves, send out runners. Clip off the runners for now, so they don’t take your plant’s energy away from producing berries, unless you want more plants right away.Mulching is good. They love pine needle mulch, if you have some about, because they prefer slightly acidic soil. Drape your berries over pine cones to keep them off the ground, out of the slug zone.Age – First year plants and 3rd year plants don’t produce as well.
My berries are really tiny! Strawberry varieties vary from mammoth chocolatiers, to midget but mighty tasty alpines. If it isn’t a variety issue, it may be diseased. See below please.

Misshapen berries or split in two sections with a hole in the center Irregular watering Your berry grows fast when it has water, then is restricted when it doesn’t….Western Tarnished Plant Bugs, feed on the flowers and developing surface seeds that stimulate growth causing misshapen berries, hard clusters of yellow seeds on the tip of the fruit. Clean up debris. Once you see this, you are too late to prevent it any further. Bummer. UC Davis IPM Integrated Pest Management on Lygus Hesperus. Image of typical cat-faced berries.Pollination Strawberry flowers are usually open and attractive to bees only a day or less. Temperatures below 60F, low night temperatures, & high humidity result in inadequate pollination, low yields of small or misshapen fruit. Strawberries require multiple pollination for perfect fruit formation. Generally, as the number of pollinator visits increases, there will be an increase in fruit set, number of seed per fruit, fruit shape, and fruit weight. ABOUT BEES: per NCSU ‘Bees rarely fly when the temperature is below 55°F. Flights seldom intensify until the temperature reaches 70°F. Wind speed beyond 15 miles per hour seriously slows bee activity. Cool, cloudy weather and threatening storms greatly reduce bee flights. In poor weather, bees foraging at more distant locations will remain in the hive, and only those that have been foraging nearby will be active. Pumpkin, squash, and watermelon flowers normally open around daybreak and close by noon; whereas, cucumbers, strawberries, and muskmelons generally remain open the entire day.’ So if the weather isn’t right THE DAY OR MORNING your flower opens…..

Whole plant has yellow leaves. The most common cause is nutrient deficiencies due to overwatering. Overwatering causes poor root growth making it difficult to move enough water to the leaves during hot weather. Lay back on watering; give your babies some Nitrogen –fish emulsion/kelp.

Rebecca & David Barker, Pilgrim Terrace Community Garden, Plot 41, staked the chicken wire in place, push it up to harvest, down to just the right height when done!

Holes in them, Chewed Silvery slime trails are the giveaway! Use the pine cones to drape your berries over to keep them off the ground. Put down some Sluggo or the like, to kill off night-time nibblers, slugs, snails. Harvest regularly before the berry gets soft and smelly, just before the buglets are attracted! Those little black pointy worms? I’m trying to find out what they are. If you know, let me know, ok?!Uprooted Sad to say, that sounds like ‘possums, raccoon, or skunk. They are looking for your earth worms or grubs. Just like bunnies, these critters won’t jump a low barrier. They just go around it. So install a foot tall perimeter of wire pieces, black plastic plant flats, old trellis parts, whatever you have around, or go get something that looks good to you so you will be happy. Relocating the critters is a good choice because, they do have children, that have children, that…

Angular Leaf Spot – exactly that. Spotted leaves. A cosmetic problem until it isn’t. Your plant will produce, but it won’t thrive. Spread by water, harvest before you water, water under the leaves, remove badly spotted leaves, don’t use them as mulch, wash your hands before going on to another plant.Strawberry Blight – the fungus is often confused with angular leaf spot, overwinters in old leaves, remove them. Remove old leaves from runner plants before setting. All day sun, well-drained soil, in an area with circulation, equals less fungus. For good air circulation, plant far enough apart, remove weeds, remove, replant and/or give away runner baby sets. Plant resistant varieties for your area of your state. Discussion of SoCal varieties. When you buy new plants be sure they are certified from a disease-free nursery. If you use a fungicide, spray the underside of leaves as well as the tops.

Successful SoCal varieties!

Chandler is the most widely commercially grown strawberry in California. High yield, early producer, large southern berry. It’s a June bearer, so if you want year round supply, this is not your berry.Seascape is an ever-bearing, big day neutral, all year strawberry, harvests are more abundant in late spring. High yield, resistant to most diseases except leaf spot. Reliable producer in fall, performs well in hot, dry climates. Berry is bright red inside and out!Oso Grande Another June bearer, high yield big berry, good in warm climates.

Reminder: My campaign this fall is for garden cleanup, and turning the soil to expose the fungi that affects our tomatoes, and other plants, so the fungi dries and dies!

Vibrant Yellow Chard!

November, though cooler, is a rich planting time!

First do remaining fall cleanup of lingering summer plants still at it with the warm weather we have been having.Now is a perfect time to weed and clear pathways.

Last chance to plant wildflowers from seed for early spring flowers! Germination in cooler weather takes longer, so don’t let the bed dry out.

More transplants of winter veggies. That’s Brassicas – brocs, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, turnips! Plant super low calorie nutritious chard, a fast grower; and from its same family, beets. Beets and carrots are a two in one – you eat the bulb/carrot, and can harvest the leaves to steam as greens, or chop and drop into your stew! Bright Lights chard is a favorite of mine – it’s as pretty as any flower with its bright easy-to-harvest stalks. Carrots near peas! Celery near the water spigot. Fava, parsley, potatoes. The fru fru thin leaved varieties of lettuces, that are too tender for hot summer sun, now thrive! Plant in easy to reach places, so you can continually harvest the big lower leaves.

Plant seeds of onions for slicing. Bare-root artichoke, strawberries. Strawberry and onion varieties are region specific, strawberries (more to come on this soon) even more than onions. So plant the varieties our local nurseries carry, or experiment! Get your bare-root strawberries in between Nov 1 to 10.

Fillers and accents, unders and besides, can be red bunch onions, bright radishes! Try some of the long radishes, like French Breakfast, said to have a ‘delicate crunch and gentle fire’ or a quickie like Cherry Belle that matures in only 22 days – that’s only 3 weeks!

Happy October, Month of Magic!

The next months…so you can plan ahead!

October Transplants of all fall crops, but specially of cabbages and artichokes. Cut Strawberry runners off to chill for Nov planting.November Seeds of onions for slicing. Wildflowers from seed (don’t let the bed dry out). Strawberries in no later than Nov 5. More transplants of winter veggies.December is winter’s June! Crops are starting to come in, it’s maintenance time!

My campaign this fall is for garden cleanup, and turning the soil to expose the fungi that affects our tomatoes, and other plants, so the fungi dries and dies!

Winter weather? Bring it on! Starting to cool down now! Your plants will grow fast then start to slow down. Less weeds and insects. Aphids & White Flies are a winter crop problem (see below please). Some people prefer the cool slower pace of winter gardening to the more phrenetic hot summer labor and work of big harvests, distribution, storage. Harvesting cold hardy vegetables after they have been hit with a touch of frost can enhance the flavor and increase the sweetness of greens such as kale and collards.

Extend the crop! Cut and come again! Harvest your big greens – kale and collards, and lettuces leaf by leaf rather than cutting your plant down. Many lettuces will ‘come back’ even if you cut them off an inch or two above ground. Leave the stalk in the ground, see what happens! Rather than pulling your bunch/table onions, cut them off about an inch to 2 inches above the ground. They will come back 3 to 4 times. Leave a potato in the ground to make more potatoes. After you cut the main broccoli head off, let the side sprouts grow and snip them for your salads or steam them. Cabbages? Cut off right below the head, then let them resprout, forming several smaller heads at the leaf axils.

If you are a new gardener at Pilgrim Terrace, ask other gardeners, or the previous person who had your plot, how the soil was tended. Some plots may need no amending, others may need a lot. Add compost, manures, seaweeds, worm castings as needed. Some people do the whole garden at once, others conserve valuable materials by preparing only where they will specifically plant, for example, a large plant like a broc. If it is a lettuce bed that you will do repeated plantings in, you might opt to do the whole bed at once.

Since mulch keeps the soil cool, some people pull it to the side in winter, to let the sun heat the soil on cool days.

Simple soil test! Test the soil by putting a drop of vinegar in a teaspoon or so. If it fizzes, it’s too alkaline. Then test it by putting in baking soda mixed with a little water. If it fizzes, it’s too acidic.

Garden Design

In addition to planting your veggies, plan ahead to plant flowers, to always have some in bloom, to attract pollinators. Borage is a lovely plant, blooms all year, has purple blue star flowers that are edible and good for you! Toss a few on top of your salads!

Make habitat! Plants for beneficial insects, poles for birds, rocks for lizards!

Plant tall in the North, the mountain end of our plots; plant shorties in the South. This is especially important in our winter gardens because of the low sun long shadows.

Put plants together that will be used in the same way, for example, salad plants like lettuces, bunch onions, celery, cilantro.

Biodiversity. Planting the same kind of plant in different places throughout your garden. It can be more effective that row cropping or putting all of one plant in one place, where if disease or a pest comes, you lose them all as the disease or pest spreads from one to all.

Layering example: Transplant peas at the base of any beans you still have.

Use vigorous fresh seeds, choose vibrant not-fruiting transplants that preferably aren’t root bound (having a solid mass of roots). If the transplant is pretty big for the container, pop it out of the container to make sure it isn’t root bound. If it is the only one there, and you still want it, can’t wait, see what John R. King, Jr (2 min video) has to say on how to rehabilitate your plant!

Lay down some Sluggo (See Slugs & Snails below) right away, even before seedlings sprout, when you put your transplants in, so your plant isn’t overnight snail and slug smorgasbord!

Strawberry Runners! Mid Oct cut off runners, gently dig up if they have rooted, shake the soil off. Clip all but two or three leaves off, tie ‘em together in loose bunches. Plastic bag them and put in the back of your fridge for 20 days. Plant them Nov 5 to 10! Prechilling your plants makes them think they had a cold winter. When days get longer and warmer, they will produce fruit, not as much vegetative growth. You can then either keep your plants that produced this year, or remove and compost them, start fresh with new plants!

Watering – Morning when you can because plants drink during the day, and we want them to dry so they don’t mildew! Water underneath, especially late beans, and your new peas, who are especially susceptible to mildew. Except for your short and shallow rooted plants, once a week and deeply is good unless there is a hot spell or rain. Then, check ’em. Poke a stick in the ground to see if the soil is moist under the surface.